1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ice body delivery mechanisms and in particular to mechanisms for delivering any one of a preselected different quantity of ice bodies to correspondingly different sized receptacles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In fast food establishments and the like, soft drinks are prepared in suitable cups into which ice bodies, or cubes, are first placed with the liquid portion of the drink being introduced subsequently thereinto. It is conventional to provide different size drinks utilizing different size cups.
It is desirable that preselected quantities of ice cubes be provided in the cups corresponding to the size of the cups so as to provide uniform icing of the drinks. Where manual introduction of ice into the cups is effected, a wide variation in the amount of ice provided in each cup may result, thus causing a wide variation in the icing of the different drinks. It is therefore desirable to effect such accurately metered ice delivery automatically and rapidly.
A number of devices have been developed for use in metering particulate material from a storage chamber to a delivery position. One such metering device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 307,629, of G. S. Church. Church shows a canister having a delivery tube opening downwardly from a bottom portion of the canister which is adapted to contain grain or other similar material. The delivery tube is provided with a plurality of slots cut halfway therethrough adapted to receive a valve plate which is selectively positionable on a vertical shaft so as to be aligned selectively with any one of the slots. The lower end of the shaft carries a closure valve. Manipulation of the shaft by means of a suitable handle concurrently removes the closure valve from the lowermost portion of the delivery tube and simultaneously introduces an upper valve into the delivery tube so as to permit delivery of only that quantity of the grain in the delivery tube previously above the level of the bottom closure plate and below the level of the adjusted inserted valve plate. Church teaches that the delivery tube be made slightly tapering internally with the larger end lowermost to facilitate the discharge of the grain.
Arthur J. Sylvester, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,517,923, shows a dispensing and measuring apparatus having a measuring chamber which is divided into a plurality of compartments by a number of gates which are pivotally swung between a retracted position externally of the measuring chamber and a measuring position extending across the interior of the measuring chamber. The different gates are spaced vertically so as to provide selectively different quantities of granular material from the measuring chamber. The device is arranged so that the top of the pile of material adjacent the slot through which the gate is inserted slopes away from the slot so as to permit a free space to be provided through which the gate passes before striking the granular material.
Edgar Hayes Moore et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,669,624, shows a dispensing device for dispensing odd lots of articles through an outlet spout also using a number of slide valves. The slide valves are arranged to be either completely withdrawn or advanced controlling the delivery of the articles. The device is arranged for dispensing particulate material, such as sugar, and requires separate manipulation of the different valves to deliver the preselected quantity of sugar to a bag placed in receiving position at the bottom of the chute.
James E. Dye discloses, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,181,739, an ice dispenser which dispenses a predetermined amount of ice to each of a plurality of drinking cups. The quantity of ice to be delivered to each cup is provided in a corresponding pocket by means of a paddle which clears excess ice from the top of the pocket. The bottom of each pocket is then concurrently opened to drop the thusly collected ice into the subject receiving cup.
Carmen G. Morena, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,313, shows an apparatus for storing and automatically dispensing flowable material, such as solid or liquid detergent. Delivery of the detergent is effected by manipulation of a plurality of control gates which are moved by means of solenoids. The lowermost gate defines a closure member. When it is desired to dispense a preselected amount of detergent such as into the washing machine tube, the user firstly causes one of the measuring gates to be moved across the delivery duct to block off the upper portion of the duct. When the level of the water in the tub reaches a preselected level, a suitable control is actuated so as to then open the lowermost closure gate to thereby dump from the lower end of the delivery duct the detergent disposed therein below the upper selected control gate which is now holding back the material in the upper portion of the duct. Upon completion of the delivery operation, the closure gate is then repositioned across the lower end of the duct and all upper measuring gates restored to the open position, thereby refilling the duct for a subsequent delivery of a measured quantity of detergent therefrom in the same manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,516,579, of Carol O. Bromarker, shows a portion dispenser for dispensing food portions to cattle in cattle pens. Each container for delivering food to the cattle pen is provided with a flexible balloon which forms a closed bottom of the container when inflated. The balloons of the respective containers are connected to a compressed air supply and suitable controls are provided for selectively inflating and deflating the baloons. The container space above an inflated balloon is filled with food by a suitable conveyor and the collected food is then discharged by release of the pressure on that balloon to dump the food to the cattle pen.